


Remedy

by LeanaVine



Category: The Expendables (Movies)
Genre: AU, Barney had a family, Car Accidents, Lee's dog died, M/M, OT Barney, Patient Lee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:10:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeanaVine/pseuds/LeanaVine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barney Ross is an occupational therapist, hired to care for Lee Christmas, who is left crippled and alone after a car accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously I don't own any of the Expendables movies.
> 
> I'm not too sure where this story is going. I'm trying not to over think it. I'm pretty much letting the story write itself.

Barney didn’t like the looks of this building. The tall, worn brick apartment complex looked menacing, like the scenery for a horror movie. After cracking his neck and letting out a deep breath, Barney rang the buzzer to be let in, and waited.  
Amy Christmas dashed over to the keypad by the front door, holding down the intercom button. “Yes?”  
“Uh, it’s Barney Ross. I’m here to see a Lee Christmas.”  
With a half-smile, Amy replied, “C’mon up,” and pressed the button to let him into the building. She walked back to her brother’s bedroom to let him know their company would soon be there. “The therapist is on his way up.”  
Lee rolled his eyes, mumbling, “Ah, the therapist. Goody.”  
The inside of the building looked even worse than the outside, Barney thought. Dim, fluorescent lights, cold, concrete walls and stairs, the distant sound of a baby crying. ‘Oh yeah, real charming.’ He cleared his throat and knocked on door 309.  
The woman who answered the door looked too nice for a place like this. She had a straight, white smile, and tan skin. “Hi, Mr. Ross. I’m Amy Christmas, Lee’s younger sister.” Amy stuck out her hand to shake Barney’s, who tried to take her hand gently. She was like a glass doll, and Barney didn’t want to crack her fingers.  
“It’s just Barney.” He released Amy’s hand and glanced behind her. “So, where’s Lee?”  
“Oh, he’s back in the bedroom. Please, come in.” Amy closed the door behind Barney, and they both sat on the old, dark green couch. “I actually wanted to talk with you about a few things first, if that’s okay.” Barney shrugged, so she continued. “Umm, sometimes Lee can have a bit of a temper, so I’ve been a bit worried about letting a stranger take care of him.”  
Barney chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve worked with some really nasty people over the years. I think I’ll be able to handle him.”  
Amy smiled nervously, as if she were relieved, but found something wrong with the way he worded that. “Well, there’s just a couple more things.” She stood, walking to the kitchen, so Barney assumed he was supposed to follow her. Amy pulled down an old cookie tin from one of the cabinets closest to the fridge, and struggled momentarily to pop it open with a metallic thunk. “I put some money in here, just in case Lee needs anything.” She rattled the money around in the tin. Amy whispered as she clarified, “He doesn’t know I put this here, so I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible.” She smiled, closing the tin again and putting it back where she’d found it. “Lee really hates the idea of anyone taking care of him.”  
“Well then, I guess we’re going to be good friends, huh?” Barney joked with a smile.  
Amy returned his smile to the floor, rubbing her hands. “I really wish I could stay here and take care of him, but it’s been a week since I’ve been with my family, and, to be frank, they can’t really function without me.” She laughed awkwardly, then cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I guess it’s time to introduce you two.”  
Barney noticed how nervous she looked, so he placed a hand on Amy’s shoulder. “Hey.” She looked up at him, and he stared at her seriously. “No need to worry. He’s in good hands. I’ve dealt with people who think they’re just fine being independent. I’m not going to treat him like a baby or a sad, old bastard in a nursing home. I’m just here in case he decides he needs me.”  
Amy studied Barney’s face for a few seconds, then nodded and led him to the bedroom. She put on a fake smile as she pushed open the door. “Lee, this is Barney Ross. He’s going to help you get back to your old self.”  
“Dammit Amy, you act like I’m a stranger,” retorted the battered man in the bed with a sharp, British accent. “I’m still the same person under all this shit.” He was talking about his numerous bandages and the casts on his arms. Jesus, Barney wondered how the hospital let a guy in this bad of shape go home.  
As if reading Barney’s mind, Amy leaned towards him, whispering, “He demanded to come home after being in the hospital for five days or so. He refuses to come home with me; he just wants to stay in this crummy apartment.”  
With a groan, Lee asked, “What’s the point in whispering? You know I can hear you.”  
Barney half smiled in his direction, but whispered to Amy, “Charming guy, isn’t he?” He left her side and approached Lee’s bedside slowly. “How ya doin’? The name’s Barney.” He reached out a hand to shake.  
Lee glanced at Barney’s hand before scowling up at him. “Don’t give a fuck who you are. What is that, a wise crack?”  
At first Barney was confused, but then he glanced at Lee’s arms in blue and green casts, and he cleared his throat. “Sorry, guess it slipped my mind for a second.”  
Lee scoffed. “Some therapist you’re gonna be.”  
“Lee, really,” Amy hissed. “I’m so sorry, Barney.”  
The older man shook his head. “I told you, it’s not going to be a problem. I’ve dealt with worse.”  
Christmas cocked a brow. “Oh yeah, tough guy? Wait and see.” He laughed angrily. "How did you even make it up the stairs, old man?"  
Amy rolled her eyes. “For god's sake, Lee, try to be a decent human being for once in your life.” She walked up to the other side of his bed, kneeling down next to him. “My flight leaves in two hours, so I need to get going. I promise I’ll call you during my layover to see how things are, okay?” She kissed her older brother’s bald head and smiled, wiping away the lipstick stain she left behind, mumbling, “Sorry.” She then stood, letting out a deep breath. “Well, Barney, I’ll leave you to it then.”  
She walked out to the living room, and Barney watched her go. He heard Christmas say behind him, “Hey, dickweed.” He turned to look down at the crippled, younger man. “Go help her with her bags.”  
Barney half smiled, able to see the hint of concern in Lee’s eyes, and nodded. He walked out to the living room, taking Amy’s bags from her with no questions asked, and the two walked down to the cab waiting outside. “Oh,” Amy said, stopping to dig through her purse as Barney loaded her luggage into the trunk. “Here, you’re going to need this.” She held out a small ring with two keys, one to the building, and one to Lee’s apartment. “He’s not going to be able to buzz you in. He tries hard, but he can't get out of bed on his own yet. It’ll be a while before that.”  
With a nod, Barney took the keys from Amy. “Thanks.” He tucked them into his pocket, and waited until her cab pulled away to turn and head back into the building. Once he was in Lee’s apartment, he finally remembered to take off the dark navy satchel he was wearing, and pulled out Lee’s paperwork.  
He headed back into the bedroom, where Christmas was waiting for him with a glare. Barney just smiled, turning his concentration down to the papers in his hands. “Lee Christmas, 48 years old, five feet ten inches tall.”  
“Yeah, how old are you, old man?” Christmas asked. His voice was rude, but not as tinged with venom as it’d been when Amy was in the room. “Must be 30 years older than me.”  
Barney chuckled. “Nah, just 20, but close, Christmas.” He scanned the rest of the sheet. “This is from a car accident?” Barney glanced back up at Lee. “So what happened? Did ya play chicken with a semi and lose?”  
“None of your business,” he mumbled, squinting at his window. “Will you close the damn curtains? Amy insists that I need sunlight but it drives me crazy.”  
Setting his papers on the bed, Barney sauntered over to the window, peeking outside before drawing the shades. “When was the last time she changed those bandages?”  
Christmas just looked forward, straight faced. “This morning, after my meds.”  
Barney nodded. “Time to change them again, then. Does she clean them?”  
Lee then looked up at the older man. “What exactly are you, anyway? I thought you were like a therapist or something.”  
With a smile, Barney sat at the foot of the bed. “I get that a lot. I’m an occupational therapist, kinda like a physical therapist but a little different. I’m here to help you get your independence back, so you won’t have to depend on people for the rest of your recovery. I have nursing training too, so that’s why I got assigned to you. Two birds, one stone, y’know?”  
Christmas paused, then nodded as if satisfied with that answer. “Amy doesn’t clean the wounds unless she’s helping me bathe.” He looked so embarrassed to be admitting that. Lee couldn’t use either of his arms, of course he would need help with bathing, and other things like eating and going to the bathroom, but it was definitely a shot to his pride.  
“Well, to help you heal quicker, it’s important to clean and treat your wounds every time we re-wrap your bandages. I’ll explain stuff like that to you as we go along, so that as you get some of your mobility back, you can do more things for yourself again.”  
Lee nodded again. He already seemed a lot less lethal. It must’ve been because Barney seemed keen on getting Lee to a place where he could care for himself. Barney was very gentle taking off Christmas’ bandages, and cleaned them with rubbing alcohol. Lee watched him the entire time, but Barney pretended not to notice. He dressed each wound with a balm he’d brought along. It would help with the swelling, and hopefully would relieve some of the pain. Barney also redressed the wounds a lot tighter than Amy had. The last thing Lee needed was for one of his injuries to get infected.  
When he was done, Barney wiped his hands with a rag and stood, gathering his things. Christmas continued to watch him without saying a word, right up to when he left the room. Barney put his kit back into his satchel and stretched a little. So far, Lee wasn’t so bad. At least he didn’t object to letting a stranger touch him. Some of Lee’s wounds were pretty bad. It was going to be a while before the younger man fully recovered, so they might as well get used to each other.  
After a few minutes, Barney came back into Lee’s room. “Hungry at all?”  
Lee nodded, then coughed. “Amy’s a doll, but not much of a cook. I could really go for some takeout.”  
Barney smiled. “Okay. What do you want? I’ll order it.”  
“Pizza. With lots of cheese.”

Barney kept a firm hand on Christmas’ shoulder as he vomited in the trashcan Barney had grabbed from beside the nightstand. He really shouldn’t have let Lee eat so much of the pizza, but this was the best way for him to learn his limits. His medications wouldn’t allow him to eat piles of greasy food for a while yet.  
When Lee was done, Barney carried the trashcan out of the room, setting it in the hallway to keep Christmas from dry heaving at the smell. He fast walked to the bathroom and got Lee a glass of water so he wouldn’t have to lay there with the taste of greasy shit in his mouth. Lee seemed grateful, although he remained silent. When he laid back, Barney pulled up his blanket. He was shaking, most likely from the trauma to his insides, not because he was cold.  
Barney threw away the garbage bin in a dumpster behind the building. He said he’d buy Lee another one, but Lee simply told him to forget about it. Barney got him another glass of water, then went into the living room to let him sleep. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He pondered what to do with the last few pieces of pizza. Probably no way Lee would want it around him. He didn’t look that stupid. Stubborn, but not stupid. Barney shrugged, deciding he’d just take it with him. No point in wasting good pizza.  
Lee woke up just two hours later, coughing. Barney stood from the couch, folding the corner of the page he’d been reading in Pride and Prejudice. He knocked twice on Christmas’ door frame before letting himself in. “How ya doin’?”  
“Y’know that’s bad luck, don’t you?”  
Barney cocked his head to the side, walking closer to the bed. “What?”  
“Knocking on an open door,” Lee clarified. “It’s bad luck.” He coughed again, turning so that his mouth was mostly buried in his left shoulder.  
With a half-smile, Barney asked, “You a superstitious man, Christmas?”  
Christmas chuckled. “Superstitious makes it sound like I collect voodoo charms and read my fortune in chicken bones. Nah, I just know too much about bad luck.” He shuffled his arms lightly as a gesture.  
Barney pursed his lips and nodded. “Understandable. So…does that mean you believe in good luck, too?”  
After a pause, Lee replied, “I suppose I do.”  
Smiling, Barney lifted his right hand, examining his lucky ring – huge chunk of stainless steel that was a comfortable amount of heavy on his finger. “This is my lucky ring,” he murmured. His smile faded, and he looked up at Christmas. “It’s gotten me through some pretty tough shit. And, I know I’m a very incapable human being, so I usually like to blame anything good that happens to me on this.” He held up his fist, so Lee could see his ring. Christmas watched silently, and Barney chuckled as he slipped the ring off his finger. “Now, I don’t know if it works for everyone, or just for me, but…” he leaned forward, putting it in Lee’s open left hand laying on top of the comforter, “maybe it’ll do ya some good, y’know?”  
Lee stretched his neck forward, turning the ring slowly in his fingers so he could look at it. “Ugly thing, isn’t it?”  
Barney laughed. “Yeah, well it’s seen a lot of hell.” He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. “Did you need anything else tonight, or is it okay for me to take off?”  
Looking back up at Barney, slightly surprised, Christmas replied, “Oh, yeah you can go. Might be nice having a night alone for the first time in a week.” He smiled a little, but it quickly went away.  
Nodding, Barney said lowly, “Okay. I’ll be back in the morning.” He turned to leave, then stopped, remembering. “Oh, right. Amy called while you were asleep. She had a layover in Denver and wanted to check up on ya. I would’ve woken you up, but she told me to let you sleep. I didn’t tell her about the pizza.” Lee sighed in relief, and Barney smiled. “Anyway, since I had your phone, I put my number in there. Call if you need anything, okay? Whatever time, day or night, I don’t care.”  
Christmas nodded. “See you in the morning, old man.”  
Barney gave a halfhearted wave, then went to the living room to get his bag and pizza. He felt weird locking Lee in his apartment. There was a guilty feeling in leaving him completely alone. Lee didn’t seem like the type to call for help unless he had fallen out of bed, which could happen if he tried to go to the bathroom on his own.  
With a sigh, Barney slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall by Christmas’ door. He wouldn’t stay long, just a little while to make sure Christmas was going to be okay. After thirty minutes, Barney’s nerves were firing, so he very quietly unlocked the front door and poked his head inside.  
“Dammit, fuck.”  
Barney slid in the door, hearing Lee’s mumblings from the back room, and hurried that way. He found Lee halfway out of bed, halfway on the floor, trying to push himself up onto his legs, one of which was in a cast. Barney knocked on the door frame. “Hey, lemme help you.”  
As he walked over and picked Lee up by the armpits, Lee winced, saying, “You knocked on an open door again. And you don’t have your precious ring now. What are you, stupid?”  
Smiling, Barney inquired, “Where ya trying to go, Christmas?”  
“Bathroom. Amy usually helped me, made it look like a piece of cake. Figured I could manage.”  
Barney shook his head, leading Christmas and letting the younger man lean on him. “I know you hate it, but it’ll be a while before you can do too much for yourself.”  
Lee looked at Barney, confused. “Hey, what’re you doing here, anyway? Didn’t you go home a while ago?”  
With a slightly nervous laugh, Barney admitted, “Actually, I sat outside your door, just in case you needed something. Guess I was right, huh?”  
“Yeah, I’m so lucky you stayed around to help me go piss.”  
“Just doin’ my job, Christmas.”  
“You’re not gonna watch, are ya?”  
“No, they don’t pay me enough for that.”  
“Old prick…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can just see Barney saying, "Y'know if you can't make it go, I can sing the Potty Song I taught my nephew."  
> And Lee's just like, "I'm not that old yet, Barney, damn."


	2. Chapter Two

"This tastes awful," Lee murmured as he turned his head from the spoon Barney was holding out to him. Barney grumbled something, dropping the spoon back into Lee's bowl of oatmeal with a wet plop. "I miss real food," Lee pouted.  
Barney chuckled. "This is real food, Christmas. You're missing junk." He took the bowl from the nightstand. "Want me to add sugar or strawberries to it or something?"  
Lee pondered for a second, then replied, "Think I've got a can of peaches somewhere in there."  
With a nod, Barney went to the kitchen in search of peaches. Sure enough, there was a small can hidden behind some black eyed peas and ramen noodles. "Weird food choices..." he mumbled to himself. It took longer to find the can opener so that he could open the damn things. The peaches inside the can were sliced, not diced, so Barney groaned as he dug through the drawers for a knife.  
He got a little startled when he found a drawer filled with nothing but large knives. Probably not a good idea to get one of those covered with peach juice. Looked like a collection of some sort. Half of these had to be throwing knives. Jeez, was anything in this apartment organized?  
After adding the smaller peach chunks to the oatmeal and reheating it in the microwave, Barney brought Lee his breakfast. "It's about damn time. What the hell took you so long?" the Brit questioned in a venomous tone.  
Barney was used to this. He'd been taking care of Lee for three days now, so he'd dealt with the younger man's temper. "When you're done I really need to get you in a bath."  
Lee paused, eyes wide at Barney, spoon almost to his mouth. "What?"  
"You stink." Barney squinched up his nose, half kidding. "I'll go run you a bath that isn't too hot."  
As he turned to leave, he heard Lee say, "That's okay."  
Barney looked over his shoulder at Christmas, confused. "What's okay?"  
"You don't have to give me a bath, I can do it myself."  
Dragging a hand across his face, Barney explained, "You can't do that for yourself yet. How do you expect to reach anything when you can barely lift your arms?" Lee actually looked apprehensive for the first time since Barney had met him, so he took on a gentler tone. "Look, it's not a big deal. I've had to do this for at least a third of my clients. It's not like I'll molest you."  
Lee stared down at his oatmeal quietly, so Barney left to run his bath water. Barney sat on the edge of the tub, watching the water level rise. Time seemed to just creep by, then he heard, "Fucking dammit," from Lee's room.  
Christmas was trying to get himself out of bed again, and had nearly fallen on the floor. "Dammit Lee," Barney grumbled as he came over to pick up the younger man. "You're going to hurt yourself."  
"I think I may have," Lee told him, wincing. "But I'm fine, really. I can take care of myself."  
Barney ignored Lee's complaints and helped him to the bathroom across the hall. After testing the temperature of the water with his fingers, Barney turned off the water, and looked back to Lee. Keeping a firm grip on Lee's hip, he grabbed the hem of Lee's olive green t-shirt with his other hand, saying calmly, "Lift your arms up as far as you possibly can."  
It was a bit of a struggle, but Barney got the shirt over Lee's head, tossing it to the corner of the bathroom. Lee had a nervous look on his face as Barney pulled down Christmas' sweatpants, lifting his right leg in order to get the pants leg over the cast. "Relax," Barney told him, sliding the pants over to join Lee's shirt.  
"Never been undressed by a man before," Lee mumbled. "Come to think of it, haven't been undressed by many women, either."  
Barney half smiled and discarded Lee's underwear. "Alright, let's get you in the tub." He allowed Lee to lean on him as he got is left leg in the tub, and then leaned down to help him lift his right leg over into the water, careful not to bump his cast. Lee sat down slowly, sinking down as far as he could into the foggy water. Whether he was hiding or trying to relax all his muscles, Barney wasn't sure.  
Leaning back up and letting out a deep breath, Barney told Lee, "I'll let you soak for a bit. I'll be back in a few minutes; just try to stay still, okay?" Lee said nothing, so Barney left. He picked up Christmas' oatmeal and took it to the kitchen, putting it in the microwave just in case Lee decided he was still hungry after his bath.  
He sighed to himself. It was so normal to have to help people undress and bathe, Barney had become numb to the ritual. But something felt different with Lee. It was a little embarrassing, and Barney felt warmth in his face. He blamed it on the fact that he was used to helping old, wrinkly women out of their clothes, not striking, middle-aged men with incredibly toned bodies. It was envy, that was all.  
When Barney came back to the bathroom, Lee looked relaxed, head laying back on the lip of the tub, his eyes closed. Barney half smiled and bent down by the tub. He started with washing Lee's scalp, massaging circles into the smooth skin. Lee let out a quiet hum, eyes still closed, and Barney was glad the younger man had relaxed.  
"You married, Barney?"  
The question was unexpected, but not too odd, Barney supposed. "Uh, I used to be. Not anymore, though." Now he was scrubbing Lee's neck and shoulders. He still felt tense, his muscles hard like concrete.  
"So what happened?"  
Barney swallowed, then laughed. "She died." He shrugged. "Was a long time ago."  
Lee watched him wash his arms carefully next, being very gentle around his casts. "Did ya have any kids?"  
With a smile, Barney asked, "What's with all the questions, Christmas?"  
"Just wondering. Better than silence."  
After pondering on that for a second, Barney nodded. "We adopted a son. Carol couldn't have children. But we loved Billy like he was our own, adopted him as a teenager. Poor kid. Once orphans get to their teens, it's like no one wants them anymore. I think that's why Carol picked Billy."  
Lee was quiet for a second before asking, "So what does he do now?"  
Barney moved to washing Lee's chest and ribs, then paused as his fingers ran over one of Lee's wounds. "Are these stitches loose?" He helped Lee sit up a little and examined the stitches. Some of them had torn, and Lee bled slightly when Barney applied pressure to the area. "Dammit Christmas, this probably happened when you were trying to get yourself out of bed." He would have to finish washing Lee quickly.  
Christmas stayed quiet as Barney helped him out of the tub and wrapped a towel around him. He leaned on the older man, getting Barney's dark gray t-shirt wet, as they made their way back to Lee's bedroom. When Lee was sitting on the edge of his bed, Barney retreated to the living room to get his first aid kit.  
Lee was surprised when Barney produced a curved needle and thread. "You know what you're doing?"  
Barney nodded, very carefully filling a syringe with something to numb the pain of restitching the wound. "Done this a thousand times." Barney slowly injected the substance into Lee's side, then readied his needle and thread. "Maybe now you'll just stay in bed, yeah? I'm not gonna want to do this all the time."  
Taking out a small pair of scissors, Barney cut the remaining sutures and started to pick them out with a pair of tweezers. Lee just watched him, so focused on what he was doing. "So, umm," Christmas began quietly, "what does Billy do for a living?"  
"He was in the Army for three years. He was just about to come home."  
Lee was silent for a moment, before softly questioning, "How did he die?"  
Barney stopped only for a second before going back to his work. "Helicopter got shot down. Heard they found Billy about 30 feet from the crash. He was going for help. Kid had two broken legs and was still going to drag himself miles through the sand to get back to base." When all the sutures were out, Barney started to sew Lee back up. "I was damn proud of that kid. Still am."  
They were both quiet, then Barney told him, "Carol couldn't handle it, Billy's death. She collapsed at his funeral, and I just hated that I couldn't bring him back for her. Committed suicide about four months after that. Came home and found her with one of my guns. I always kept 'em locked up, so I don't know how she got into my gun safe." Barney paused, just staring at Christmas' wound. "Always kinda blamed myself."  
Neither of them talked after that. Never once did Barney's expression change. When Barney was done stitching up Lee, he helped him into bed, and took his kit back into the living room. Christmas could only stare at the door, knowing that there was so much more to Barney Ross.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning/spoiler -- there is talk of car crashes and the death of a pet in this chapter. Proceed with caution. <3

Barney's ringtone for Lee, "Night on Bald Mountain," cut through the silence like a knife. With a grunt, Barney slapped a hand onto his nightstand, grabbing his phone in order to silence the orchestra. "Yeah?"  
"Where the hell are you, Barney?"  
He took in a deep breath, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"  
"Never mind what time it is, you're late."  
Barney sleepily got ready, pulling on a fresh set of clothes. Fuck taking a shower, he didn't have time. He knew he looked like hell, but he couldn't care less at this point. When he arrived at Lee's apartment, he heard the younger man call from the back room, "What happened to you, huh? You're never late, and you're an hour late."  
"Sorry Christmas," he called back, taking off his bag and laying it on the couch. He made his way to the bedroom, looking in on Lee. "How are you today, you need anything?"  
"Jesus, you look awful, Ross," Lee stated, eyes slightly widened.  
With a laugh, Barney told him, "Didn't really get much sleep last night." He paused before adding, "Nightmares." All he'd been able to think about the night before was Carol with that gun in her hand, stuck to her fingers with sticky, dried blood.  
Lee nodded, and said no more about it. Barney was a little surprised, but relieved that he didn't ask about the nightmares. They carried on as usual -- Lee hating what Barney made him for breakfast and Barney telling him that was all he was getting. When Lee was done eating, he had an odd look on his face, like there was something he wanted to say. Barney cocked an eyebrow at him. "What?"  
Christmas half smiled. "I was just wondering what you always do when you're not back here taking care of me. I never hear the TV."  
"Oh." Barney stood, walking out to the living room and digging through his satchel. He retrieved his copy of Pride and Prejudice, then came back to Lee's room, showing him the cover. "I read this."  
"Pride and Prejudice? Isn't that a girly, romance book?" When Barney sighed, Christmas laughed. "Why are you reading that?"  
With a shrug, Barney admitted, "It was my wife's favorite book. Carol used to read it once a year. A couple years ago, I decided I'd give it a shot. So, now I read it once a year. Usually I'm kinda busy, so it takes me a little longer than it ever took her."  
Lee just stared at him, then looked at the book. "Read me some."  
Barney didn't expect to enjoy reading to Lee as much as he did. He started from the beginning, only a little dismayed at losing his progress. Lee would lay there silently, his eyes closed, so he could really listen. Only occasionally would be pipe up with a complaint or question about one of the characters. Barney really liked having someone to talk about the book with.  
"So, why is Darcy such a dickbag to Lizzie? I mean she seems like a nice enough girl," Lee grumbled.  
Trying to hold back a laugh, Barney answered, "I've always thought of Darcy like a second grader, putting bubblegum in Elizabeth's hair. He just wants her attention, and boys that immature don't know what buttons to push to make a girl happy, so they smash the ones that will agitate her. As long as he gets her attention, Darcy doesn't care what Elizabeth thinks of him."  
Lee just stared. "Wow, I wasn't expecting such a noble answer, Zero."  
Barney shrugged. "What can I say. After you read a book a few times, you really understand the characters, like they're alive."  
Lee folded his arms in his lap, sitting up a little. "So, tell me, do they end up together? They do, right?" His eyes beamed in curiosity.  
Holding up his hands, Barney turned away. "Sorry, Lee, I don't give away spoilers. You'll just have to read the book, yourself, someday."  
"But, aren't you going to read again tomorrow?"  
The question caught Barney a little off guard. "You want me to read to you again tomorrow?" Lee nodded, and Barney half smiled. "All right, Christmas, if that's what you want. I just didn't know you were the type for sappy romances."  
Lee rolled his eyes. "Oh, please."

When Lee woke up from his nap, Barney came in with some water and a banana. "How ya feelin', Christmas?" He then noticed the sullen look on the younger man's face. Barney's smile fell. "What's wrong?"  
Lee had something in his hands, small enough that Barney couldn't see it. "I had a dog," he whispered.  
Without saying anything, Barney slowly sat on the edge of the bed, setting Lee's water and banana on the nightstand. Once he was closer, he could tell what Christmas was holding. It was a little dog hair, dark brown or black.  
"Bruiser was with me that day." Lee swallowed hard, possibly choking back a sob, looking at the hair in his hand. "Dumb mutt had his head hanging out the window, that goofy grin on his face." Lee sniffed and smiled for a split second. "Had that guy for two years." A grimace came over his face like a weight pulling down his features. "If the window wasn't open, he probably would've lived." His eyes turned red, and his jaw tightened. Obviously, Lee was fighting to keep his composure. "They told me they found him 20 feet away, the tail end of his body totally crushed. Said they put him out of his misery when they found him, that there was nothing they could've done."  
Barney couldn't help but watch Lee's face, sadly. Christmas continued, telling him, "Amy doesn't know I had a dog. We didn't really talk for a few years before all this happened. There was no point in telling her that my dog had died. I didn't want her pity anymore than what I was already getting."  
With a nod, Barney said, "I get that. I never really told anyone about how gruesome it was finding Carol, or what Billy was like when they found him. The details didn't matter; they were gone. Telling people how bad it was or how miserable I was wasn't going to bring them back, it was just going to keep their memory around longer. I don't like doing that. When someone dies, they get the proper respect, then the decency of being left alone. No point in stirring up old bones."  
When he looked up from rubbing his hands, Lee was staring at him again. He half smiled in confusion at the younger man. Lee cleared his throat. "Again, wasn't expecting such a noble answer."  
Even though it was a shitty subject, Barney felt a little closer to Lee. This Lee eating a banana wasn't the same guy that had spewed acid at him when he first walked through the door. This felt like the vulnerable Lee that Barney saw when he turned up to pick Lee off the floor thirty minutes after he supposedly left. This was the thin-skinned Lee that was so nervous to have Barney bathe him, but relaxed under the older man's fingertips. This was the Lee that got a little glimmer in his eye when Barney replied to his complaints with, "tough shit." Barney admired that, somehow, he'd been able to snake his way into Lee's shell, little by little. Why this made him happy, Barney wasn't sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I writing the characters okay, or are their personalities wrong?


End file.
